Stephen

The first Christian martyr's name, Stephen comes from the Greek Stephanos, crown or garland, the wreath laid on a victor's head. Saint Stephen was stoned in Jerusalem around 34 AD, and the name has carried his gravity through kings of Hungary, English monarchs, and modern giants like Stephen Hawking and Stephen King. It held a top-100 American rank through much of the twentieth century and has settled into a stately mid-300s position, favored now by parents who prefer the traditional PH spelling to Steven. Two dignified syllables, the F sound humming softly. Stephen reads thoughtful and old-soul, a name built for long conversations.